CONCEPT: How
much garbage do we generate, and what are the benefits of recycling?

OBJECTIVE: To
learn facts and figures about recycling and solid waste disposal.

MATERIALS:

handout: Trash Trivia Game Cards
timer
score sheets
pencil or pen

KEYWORDS:
recycling, natural resources, solid waste

PROCEDURE:

1. Divide into two to four teams of
three to four members.

2. A member from one team picks a card.
The team has 30 seconds to answer the trivia question.

3. If team members answer correctly,
they take another turn. If not, the other team takes a turn.
4. Each team gets one point for each correct answer.

Trash Trivia Game(Correct answers are in bold).

Which country has 6% of the world's
population and produces half of the world's garbage?

A. The Soviet Union
B. ChinaC. The United States

How many trees must be cut to provide
paper for one edition of the Sunday New York Times?

A. 62
B. 628C. 75,000

How many trees are saved when one ton
of paper is recycled?

A. 5B. 17C. 100

How many tons of dangerous waste are
produced by American industries each year?

A. 3 thousand
B. 1 millionC. 250 million

What percentage of landfills in the
United States were closed between 1984 and 1988?

A. 30%B. 5%
C. 50%

What is New York's largest export?

A. foodB. waste paperC. shoes

How many pounds of glass does each
person in the United States use each year?

A. 100B. 10
C. 50

How much of Japan's waste stream was
recycled in one very effective program?

A. 30%B. 50%C. 80%

When you buy $11.00 of groceries, how
much of that money pays for the product packaging?

A. 10 centsB. $1.00C. $5.00

What percentage of our garbage is plant
matter and can be composted?

A. 25-30B. 80
C. 3

By what year should all communities
in New York State have started mandatory recycling programs?

A. 1980B. 1992C. 2000

How many tons of solid waste does New
York State produce in one day?

A. 270
B. 2700C. 27,000

Should we put all our waste in a landfill?

A. Yes. Out of sight, out of mind.
B. No. Everyone should dig a hole in his or her backyard.C. No! Fewer and fewer communities are allowing landfills
to be built. Land is in demand for housing and recreational
use. Many communities are concerned about groundwater pollution,
which can seep from a landfill site.

If you can buy a can of soda pop, what
should you do with the can after you have finished the soda?

A. Crumple it up and throw it on the
ground. It will rot in a while.
B. Throw it in a trash can with other paper wrappers and garbage.C. Put it with other cans to be recycled, or return it for
the deposit.

What two things should you keep out
of your compost?

A. apple cores
B. eggshellsC. aluminum cans
D. meat scraps

From what natural resource is new paper
made?

A. grassB. treesC. stones

What creature is not supposed to be
in your compost pile?

A. a wormB. a mouseC. a spider

Where is compost naturally found?

A. in the airB. in the soilC. under your bed

Why shouldn't we dump our wastes in
the ocean?

A. Garbage will break down faster if
it is put in a landfill.B. Waste pollutes the ocean and harms animals and plants that
live there.C. It makes tidal waves.

What can you do with the compost you
make from your kitchen and yard wastes?

A. Send it to a landfill.B. Use it to enrich the soil in your garden.C. Feed it to your dog.

If we recycle the aluminum trash that
Americans throw away every three months, we could: